Rating: 
Summary: Must have for new parents!
Review: Great information at your fingertips. When you need answers to questions about your baby.........you'll find them in Baby 411. I highly recommend this book for anyone with a new arrival.
Rating:
Summary: the best beginner baby book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: I am a first time mom and was really looking for a book that had a lot of useful information without forcing any specific parenting style on you.
I completely disagree with the people that said that this was a biased book -- Dr. Brown does tell you her opinion on the topics, but in no way makes you feel guilty about the decision that you choose.
Also, for those that critisized the sleep section, I actually found it to be very helpful. She empasized her opinion that it is important for a parent to be well rested & it isn't selfish to desire that. How can you be a good mom if you are exhausted? And, she also goes over sleep patterns and what can be expected of a baby - for example, you can't expect a newborn to sleep through the night. But, you can start to help a 4 month old to sleep through the night.
Also, she does cite the studies & research that back her opinions on controversial issues such as circumsicion & vaccinations. BUT, there are reasons that these are controversial issues - not everyone agrees!
I personally didn't feel like she was one-sided at all. She didn't seem to be a big fan of attachment parenting, but didn't knock those who were. I think that a lot of the people that didn't like it are the ones that have a "baby guru" and don't differ at all from what that particular author/person teaches. Personally, I wanted more of an overview of things & think that I am more the type of person who would pick & choose my parenting style from what works for me.
I found this book to be EXTREMELY helpful and would recommend it to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Guilt free parenting
Review: I am a mother of 2 and my children are patients of Dr. Brown. I cannot say enough wonderful things about her and her book, Baby 411. We really enjoy her style in the office-she is a terrific doctor- loves to teach, makes us feel involved in decision making, and most of all, she truly cares about our kids. So, I was already a fan before I bought her book.Baby 411 is an amazing book. It's like my doctor is sitting in my living room talking to me. The style is friendly, comforting, and amusing. The format is the most organized and user-friendly I have seen (and I have bought several parenting books). It is also respects that we readers have a brain and want more information than what is offered to most parents from lay-medical books. But what I like the most about Baby 411 is that the authors don't make you feel guilty about your choices. It tells you that your child will still grow up normal and well-adjusted whether or not you choose to have them sleep in your bed, if you work outside the home, or whatever. They point out that these choices are not the secret sauce-it's having happy well-adjusted parents. I have read too many books that try to guilt you into following the author's agenda (like Dr. Sears). What really bothers me about those other books is that they don't have the guts to tell you that not every doctor or child care expert agrees with them-they just nestle their opinions into the text so that parents think this is the gospel when they read it. I really appreciate that the authors of Baby 411 are HONEST. They actually pull out opinions from the main text and say, 'this is our approach to things based on experience, but you can do what you works for you or ask your doctor their opinion'... All of my friends at playgroup have bought Baby 411 and love it. It has become my favorite gift to friends having babies. One final point, since I know Dr. Brown personally- she wrote this book because she is passionate about teaching and empowering parents so that their kids benefit. She's not out there selling her name or endorsing products-how refreshing!
Rating: 
Summary: A Coffee table use....
Review: I am a new mother, and I admit that I did use this book...As a coaster. Dr. B. is opinonated, one sided and often wrong in her " reccomendations" I like the format, question and answer. But so much of the content was put my way or the highway, and did not allow for the other side. Several of them which have been posted before are just opinions, or from one side of the story, or study. Dr. Sears has gentler ways and more open minded books, don't waste your money.
Rating:
Summary: Unique baby book
Review: I am a pediatrician and this is one of the most unique baby books I have ever read. I applaud the authors for making extraordinary efforts to take current trends in pediatric healthcare and explain them to parents. A great deal of medicine and science is not black and white. It's gray. This book tackles those gray zones and allows interested parents to understand what goes into the decision making process for their infant's medical care. Despite the depth and complexity of information, the book engages the reader with its conversational style making it very easy and enjoyable to read.
The authors express their opinions on various medical issues and I would agree with a majority of their advice. It adheres to what I would consider standard of care in pediatric medicine.
The book's website is also informative. It provides an avenue to keep parents updated on children's healthcare news.
I have been recommending Baby 411 to families in my practice and it has been well-received.
Rating:
Summary: What a big mouth-
Review: I am in the minority here, but I found the doctor to be a Big Know-It-All who laughs at her own jokes. I disagreed with much of her counsel, but it was her grating tone that really made me detest this book. This book is just Patient Obedience Training (must be why there are positive MD-reviews here) which surpised me me since the Fields usually encourage thinking outside the box and questioning professionals. My fave baby care book remains The Baby Book by Dr. Sears. He treats parents like adults, not just bigger children. Maybe to some pediatricians, everyone is a child. I really hated this book. Feh.
Rating: 
Summary: Too One-Sided
Review: I am very disappointed with this book because it is one-sided. Other books present the facts for both sides of an argument so the reader can make an informed choice. This author obviously feels her very conservative view is the best and ridicules other choices. I couldn't believe the statements regarding birthing plans. Very demeaning to alternative views. The only reason I gave it two stars is because I like the format.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, Informative (with Humor)!!
Review: I have been taken by The Fields for their Wedding Bargains, Baby Bargains books.. so I had to get this Baby 411.. and I will get the Toddler Bargains too. The format is excellent.. they write in a familiar & friendly way.. just fun & informative to read. I am not one to read much of anything with out stopping.. but The Fields write in such a matter you can not stop.. just fantastic! Skip the Dummies, Idiots and other books.. get the 411 from Denise Fields!!! Honest & Excellent information!!
Rating:
Summary: A book for normal parents!
Review: I have spent hours, no probably days, pouring over parenting books at the bookstore and online. This one is stands above the rest. Why? Because it speaks to me, a really normal parent (at least I think I am!)
I didn't need a book to tell me how to raise my baby. I am perfectly capable of doing that. I wanted a book to fill the void between my busy pediatrician's office and my mother-in-law! There is so much information about baby's health available, I felt at times overwhelmed and unsure what the 'right' answer was based on what I had read previously. That's one of the great things about this book- it comes right out and says that some topics are controversial, and doctors have varying opinions and approaches. That's incredibly helpful to me and explains why I hear more than one answer or conflicting answers about certain things. Another cool thing is that the book has a list of medications you can take while breastfeeding. I had been looking all over for that list (and I am sure I tortured my pediatrician's staff)- and I found it in this book. Baby 411 did a great job of putting in all those little, but important questions. But it also helped me see the big picture. (If you are like me, it's hard to see the forest through the trees when you are sleep deprived.) There is also a website for the book which has pictures of common rashes. I found this useful when I realized my daughter's diaper rash wasn't clearing up-it was a yeast infection-looked just like the picture on the website. I enjoyed the Baby Bargains book and Baby 411 fits right in. Straight forward, no nonsense, with respect for its readers. I have a small library at home with all of the books I have bought to make sense of my life as a parent, but this is the book that sits at my bedside table.
Rating: 
Summary: I feel prepared now!
Review: I haven't had my baby yet, but I just finished my first once-over of this book and am impressed. Now that I'm further along in my pregnancy, I haven't picked up a book about pregnancy itself in weeks. I'm looking ahead to "real life with baby", and this book was very informative. Watching my friends have babies, and years of baby sitting, has not prepared me for the daily issues of caring for my own baby like this book has! They cover everything from immunizations to umbilical cord care to feeding, bathing, etc. It's all probably the same advice my pediatrician would give, but I feel more reassured being prepared in advance, rather than waiting until my 2 month old has a fever at midnight and calling the on-call doctor with frantic questions. This is probably not the be-all-end-all of baby care books, but it is has been very handy to me. I would recommend it to any first time parent.
| 
